Preserving cricket’s history in a Dubai backyard

Shyam Bhatia came to Dubai in 1965 when he was offered a job with an insurance company. A former first-class cricketer from Rajasthan, India, he decided ‘to move on with life since there was no money in the game’ at that time. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

Dubai, UAE - The UAE is not renowned for history.

Sharjah’s cricket stadium does hold the record for having hosted the most ODIs and Pakistan cricket fans hold that ground dear (as well as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, having been the team’s ‘home’ venues).

However, a backyard in Jumeriah, a hop across Burj Khalifa, is overflowing with historical value.

Shyam Bhatia, an industrialist on the outside but a former cricketer and an enthusiast everywhere else, has created a cricket museum in his house, preserving memories and records achieved on the field that not many others have bothered to hold on to.

Holding signed bats, balls, caps and a special Sachin Tendulkar corner, Bhatia has also written three books on cricket – he doesn’t want to stop just yet. The museum houses a private collection but he wants to share it with the world which is why there are plans to move it to a different location in the near future.

“I always feel that whatever I am today, it is because of this game and the reason I started this museum was because I wanted to give something back to the game,” Bhatia told Al Jazeera.

“I’m trying to move out of here and to a more public location. This is still at my house so giving access to the public is difficult. But I want to share these memories with the fans.”

The museum – ground floor and a basement – is location in Bhatia’s back garden. He started off with a small gallery but as the number of items grew, it was demolished to make way for a purpose-built gallery. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

The new construction has the roof made of carved glass. This was the preferred material to not only share more cricket memories but also give visitors maximum sunlight. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

The museum has 10 pillars – one for each Test-playing nation. “One side has the history and stats for the country while the other has history of all cricketers who have captained it.” [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

The museum also has a good collection of cricket balls. Some of them are from actual matches while the rest are autographed by various visitors, including Imran Khan and Kapil Dev. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

Apart from his love of collecting memorabilia and preserving history, Bhatia has also authored three books. “I don’t sell the book in the market, it’s only for private circulation.” [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

Bhatia has also launched his own charity – Shayam Bhatia Cricket for Care. The charity distributes kits and equipment to underprivileged kids worldwide. “This charity is not for particular country or region but worldwide, especially non Test-playing nations who need more support.” [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

There is also a World Cup section in the museum where you can see all the winning captains in a single frame bordered by his favourite cricketers in each category. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

The basement houses more bats, his personal gym as well as a large collection of books and awards. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]

And the museum would not have been complete without a special mention and a special corner for Sachin Tendulkar, his favourite batsman. [Faras Ghani / Al Jazeera]